Ladder crash leaves feet-wide hole in plane

Kolkata: An error by Jet Airways ground staff damaged a $75 million aircraft, grounding it at Kolkata airport on Thursday morning.
A critical component of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft belonging to Jet Airways subsidiary JetLite was damaged when ground staff drove off with the tractor before detaching the ladder.
Around 8.45 am, just moments after the JetLite Guwahati-Kolkata flight landed at the airport and then taxied into the parking bay, ground staff wheeled a step ladder into position at the rear door of the aircraft for passengers to alight.
Once the ladder is in place and detached from the tractor, the latter drives away to be used elsewhere. On Thursday, however, the tractor driver mistakenly pulled out before the ladder had been completely detached. This caused the ladder to crash into the aircraft, damaging the horizontal stabilizer that controls the vertical movement of the aircraft during flight. "There was nearly a feet-wide hole on the left side of the aircraft where the stabilizer is located," a DGCA official said.
Though JetLite has not taken any action against contractual loaders who were handling the ladder and tractor, punitive action is not ruled out for the clumsy action that led to a major damage and grounded the aircraft. Boeing officials will be flown down from Delhi to check the damage and oversee repairs.
07/08/09 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Aug 2009, JetLite Aug 2009, Safety Aug 2009